11 Surprising Factors That Mess With Your Memory

Over half of US adults say they are very or somewhat worried about memory loss.

The good news is that your brain is a dynamic organ, which is constantly adapting and changing, for better or for worse and there are things that you can do that should help to preserve your memory.

Many daily activities such as, lack of sleep can seriously interfere with your memory the next day.

On the other hand, a healthy lifestyle will support your brain health and even encourage your brain to grow new neurons, a process known as neurogenesis or neuroplasticity.

Your brain’s hippocampus, i.e. the memory center, is especially able to grow new cells and it’s now known that your hippocampus regenerates throughout your entire lifetime (even into your 90s), provided you give it the tools to do so.

Many of the most powerful interventions for memory are also the simplest. So if you’d like to boost your memory and protect it against negative changes, keep reading.

Below are the 11 factors as reported by TIME. All have the potential to either increase or to decrease our memory!

1. Thyroid Problems - Although your thyroid doesn’t have a specific role in your brain, memory problems are a hallmark characteristic of thyroid disease. High or low thyroid levels (hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism) may lead to difficulty with memory and concentration.

2. Menopause - Hot flashes and insomnia are common during menopause, and both can impair your sleep and contribute to memory loss. This is temporary and should improve when your menopause symptoms subside.

3. Lack of Sleep - The process of brain growth, or neuroplasticity, is believed to underlie your brain’s capacity to control behavior, including learning and memory. However, sleep and sleep loss modify the expression of several genes and gene products that may be important for synaptic plasticity. Among adults, a mid-day nap has even been found to dramatically boost and restore brainpower. Most adults need about eight hours of sleep a night. If you wake up feeling fatigued or fall asleep easily during the day, you probably need more sleep.

4. Anxiety and Depression - Increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol brought on by anxiety and depression causes your brain cells to lose synapses (which connect brain cells). This, in turn, makes it more difficult to form and retrieve memories.

5. Certain Medications - Many prescription drugs interfere with your memory function. This includes anxiety medications (Xanax, Valium, and Ativan), which hinder your brain’s ability to transfer short-term memories to long-term “storage.” Others include tricyclic antidepressants, statin drugs, beta-blockers, narcotic painkillers, incontinence drugs, sleep aids and antihistamines (such as Benadryl).

6. Smoking - Smoking impairs the blood supply to your brain, leading to memory lapses. Studies also show that smokers have a more rapid decline in brain function, including memory, than non-smokers. Smoking leads to the accumulation of abnormal proteins in your brain that interfere with processing and relaying information.

7. Stress - An animal study revealed that higher levels of stress hormones can speed up short-term memory loss in older adults. The findings indicate that how your body responds to stress may be a factor that influences how your brain ages over time. Previous research has also linked chronic stress with working memory impairment.

8. A Higher “Infectious Burden” - People exposed to more germs, such as the cold sore virus (herpes simplex type 1), scored 25% lower on cognitive tests than those with a lower “infectious burden.” Researchers concluded that past infections may contribute to cognitive impairment, perhaps due to damage to your blood vessels.

9. Green Tea - If you want to boost your memory, drink more high-quality green tea. In a study of 12 healthy volunteers, those who received a beverage containing 27.5 grams of green tea extract showed increased connectivity between the parietal and frontal cortex of the brain compared to those who drank a non-green tea beverage. The increased activity was correlated with improved performance on working memory tasks. The researchers believe the results suggest green tea may be useful for treating cognitive impairments, including dementia.

10. Exercise - Exercise encourages your brain to work at optimum capacity by stimulating nerve cells to multiply, strengthening their interconnections and protecting them from damage. During exercise nerve cells release proteins known as neurotrophic factors. One in particular, called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), triggers numerous other chemicals that promote neural health and directly benefits cognitive functions, including learning.

11. Vitamin B12 - B vitamins including vitamin B12 may slow brain shrinkage by as much as seven-fold in brain regions specifically known to be most impacted by Alzheimer’s disease. In one study, participants taking high doses of folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12 had blood levels of homocysteine that were lowered as was the associated brain shrinkage, by up to 90%.

Three More Little-Known Tips to Supercharge Your Memory:

If you’re serious about improving your memory and your cognitive function, you’ll also want to know about these three important variables for brain health.

1. Vitamin D - Activated vitamin D receptors increase nerve growth in your brain, and researchers have also located metabolic pathways for vitamin D in the hippocampus and cerebellum of the brain, areas that are involved in planning, processing of information, and the formation of new memories. In older adults, research has shown that low vitamin D levels are associated with poorer brain function, and increasing levels may help keep older adults mentally fit.

2. Intermittent Fasting - Your ancient ancestors never had access to food 24/7 so your genes are optimized for periods of feast and fasting. Problem is most of us are in 24 hour feast mode. Intermittent fasting can help your body to “reset” itself and start to burn fat instead of sugar. Further, it will help you to reduce your overall calorie consumption, which promotes brain cell growth and connectivity.
A good intermittent fasting schedule simply calls for limiting your eating to a narrower window of time each day. By restricting your eating to a 6-8 hour window, you effectively fast 16-18 hours each day.

3. Gut Health - Your gut is your “second brain,” and your gut bacteria transmits information to your brain via the vagus nerve, the tenth cranial nerve that runs from your brain stem into your enteric nervous system (the nervous system of your gastrointestinal tract). There is a close connection between abnormal gut flora and abnormal brain development and just as you have neurons in your brain, you also have neurons in your gut, including neurons that produce neurotransmitters like serotonin, which is also found in your brain and is linked to mood.

The Most Important Factor of All... Your Diet:

The foods you eat and don’t eat, play a crucial role in your memory. Fresh vegetables are essential, as are healthy fats, as well as avoiding sugar and grain carbohydrates.

For instance, curry, celery, broccoli, cauliflower and walnuts contain antioxidants and other compounds that protect your brain health and may even stimulate the production of new brain cells. Increasing your animal-based omega-3 fat intake and reducing consumption of damaged omega-6 fats (think processed vegetable oils) in order to balance your omega-3 to omega-6 ratio is also important.

Coconut oil is another healthful fat for brain function. According to research by Dr. Mary Newport, just over two tablespoons of coconut oil (about 35 ml or 7 level teaspoons) would supply you with the equivalent of 20 grams of medium-chain triglycerides (MCT), which is indicated as either a preventative measure against degenerative neurological diseases or as a treatment for an already established case.

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